Minot defenseman Dittel makes NCAA commitment

June 27, 2017

By Ken Oda, Minot Minotauros

The Minot Minotauros, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are pleased to announce that Captain Jake Dittel has committed to play NCAA Division III hockey for the Johnnies of St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

Dittel, 21, played for the Minotauros in the NAHL for three years and was the sixth captain in team history and leaves his name atop several columns in the Tauros’ record books. His 66 career points are the most among Minotauros defensemen, as are his 53 career assists. His 13 goals are second among defenseman behind Jon Lizotte’s (Saint Cloud State) 20 career markers. Dittel also leaves Minot with a +51 rating, a franchise best among all skaters.

Dittel was also selected to and played in the 2017 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament for the Central Division team.

Minotauros Head Coach Marty Murray will miss the dependable Dittel on the back end. “Jake was an absolute warrior and key component of our back end for three seasons. He’s a fierce competitor, a tremendous leader, and brought his work-boots every day. He will be tough to replace. St. John’s is getting a great player, and an even better kid," said Murray.

For his part Dittel was thankful for his time in Minot, specifically wanting to thank “all of my coaches who helped me get to this point… and my billets, the McGinnis family, for housing me and letting me be a part of their family for the last three years.”

Dittel cited that “it is a great school with a beautiful campus” as the reason he chose St. John’s. He continued “it will be nice being a little closer to home” as another reason he is excited to attend St. John’s where he intends to study business. Dittel also said he will miss Minot and the fans adding, “I want to thank all of the fans for making Minot a time in my life I will never forget. The constant support the team and I received was unbelievable. I will always be a Tauro at heart.”

Dittel becomes the third Tauro to announce a NCAA DIII commitment and seventh NCAA commitment overall this season. The Johnnies have made six appearances in the NCAA DIII National Tournament most recently in 2013 when they also won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular season and postseason titles. For more Tauros news including updates on Tauros alum be sure to check back to www.minotauroshockey.com all summer long.